Today my plan was to trash patrol the Assabet River up to Nashoba Brook and back. Somewhere in the back of my mind was the hope that 'Young Bullwinkle' might still be in the area. The river is on the rise as the result of some recent rainfall events and the flow was steady and strong. Paddling against it was liking walking the wrong way on an escalator.
Approaching Dodge Rock, I stopped to admire some recent tree chopping work done by a local beaver. Unfortunately, his tree fell against an adjacent tree and got hung up...
The beaver's misfortune paled in comparison to the fate that befell this 6-point buck further upriver...
The deer's carcass was floating down the middle of the river about a half mile above Spencer Brook. Unless hunting season has already started, I can't imagine how else this healthy looking animal was killed.
Other wildlife seen today were wood ducks, mallards, Muscovy ducks, and Canada geese.
Trash was present in good numbers thanks to a new batch having been sent downriver.
Another kayaker, Stuart, was paddling upriver today as well and we crossed paths a few times between Willow Island and Route 2.
Seeing no sign of Mr. Moose, I turned around at Nashoba Brook and headed downriver. On the trip back, I noticed that the deer's carcass had floated another half-mile downriver and was now snagged on some branches below Spencer Brook.
By the time I reached my takout location, 39 pieces of trash had been recovered. Of the 39, 22 were recyclable (9 redeemable) and 17 were misc. rubbish such as styrofoam, plastic, etc. My YTD total stands at 4570. Today's motley looking bunch posed for this group portrait...
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